[5e] Spell & Crossbones

[Queenie]

Yes, Captain! You choose two items at your discretion. I will give up my statuette

 

[Quickleaf]

Yes, Captain! You choose two items at your discretion. I will give up my statuette

But I thought *you're* the captain! I'm just the DM So here's what I came up with for Katarina's items for having Magic Trinkets...

Blackheart's Scope
This exquisite black and silver spyglass is the only possession of her father that Katarina has, which he taught her how to use ever since she gained her sea legs. Far more complex than an ordinary spyglass, it has a series of silver rings which, if turned in the right manner, alter the magnification between one of three modes. The first is as a regular spyglass, while the other modes require a dram of blood (1 hit point) be poured into a small hole in the scope to power the magic for 1 minute.

• Greater Magnification: The magnification the spyglass provides is triple (instead of double), granting you advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks to identify ship features and such. However, when used in daylight or in other ambient bright light the powerful mirrors inside the spyglass shine from a distance, alerting anyone viewed that you're watching them.
• Water Scope: The spyglass ceases to function as normal and instead allows you to see 30 feet underwater provided the light conditions would allow you to see that far.

Andalusian Corsé de Gracia
A dark leather corset with black silk ties and invisible seamless mithril boning, this garment is luxuriously comfortable to wear and represents the height of Spanish fashion. Moreover, it has been enchanted by Andalusian mages with the grace of a swan and the convenience of a command word to cause the corset to lace up or untie when spoken by you. For a pirate to have such a corset...well, clearly it was stolen from a Spanish noblewoman! Perfectly flattering your bosom, the corset grants you advantage on Charisma checks involving seduction. Additionally, when you squeeze thru a tight space the corset cinches tighter, allowing you to function effectively despite the squeeze; you don't suffer disadvantage to your attack rolls or Dexterity saves when squeezing, nor do enemies gain advantage on their attacks against you (though you still must spend 1 extra foot of movement  per foot squeezed).

 

[Kobold Stew]

Can I share some details about ships' constitutions?

Articles from Capt. Bartholomew Roberts’s ship.

I. Every Man has a Vote in the Affairs of Moment; has
equal Title to the fresh Provisions, or strong Liquors, at any
Time seized, and may use them at Pleasure, unless a Scarcity
make it necessary, for the Good of all, to vote a Retrenchment.

II. Every Man to be called fairly in Turn, by List, on board
of Prizes, because, (over and above their proper Share) they
were on these Occasions allowed a Shift of Cloaths: But if they
defrauded the Company to the Value of a Dollar, in Plate,
Jewels, or Money, Marooning was their Punishment. If the
Robbery was only betwixt one another, they contented themselves
with slit ing the Ears and Nose of him that was Guilty,
and set him on Shore, not in an uninhabited Place, but somewhere,
where he was sure to encounter Hardships.

III. No person to Game at Cards or Dice for Money.

IV. The Lights and Candles to be put out at eight a-Clock
at Night: If any of the Crew, after that Hour, still remained
enclined for Drinking, they were to do it on the open Deck

V. To keep their Piece, Pistols, and Cutlash clean, and fit
for Service.

VI. No Boy or Woman to be allowed amongst them. If any
Man were found seducing any of the latter Sex, and carry’d
her to Sea, disguised, he was to suffer Death.

VII. To Desert the Ship, or their Quarters in Battle, was
punished with Death or Marooning.

VIII. No striking one another on board, but every Man’s
Quarrels to be ended on Shore, at Sword and Pistol.

IX. No Man to talk of breaking up their Way of Living,
till each shared a 1000 l. If in order to this, any Man should
lose a Limb, or become a Cripple in their Service, he was to
have 800 Dollars, out of the publick Stock, and for lesser
Hurts, proportionately.

X. The Captain and Quarter-Master to receive two Shares
of a Prize; the Master, Boatswain, and Gunner, one Share
and a half, and other Officers one and a Quarter [everyone
else to receive one share].

XI. The Musicians to have Rest on the Sabbath Day, but
the other six Days and Nights, none without special Favour.

There's also a wikipedia article with more examples that I have just seen -- it includes Roberts's (without the early spellings).

Modifying Roberts's or one of the others seems relatively straightforward, and I think would be a fun element -- we can adjust the shares, add provisions for magic or special items ("For items of rare and magickall value, officers may forfeit their wages down to the value of one share in exchange for their choise, selected in an order determined by agreement of the Captain and Quarter Master. Where there is no agreement to bee had, the item shall be cast overboard or sold.").

Other nice clauses, I think include:

* If any Gold, Jewels, Silver, &c. be found on Board of any Prize or Prizes to the value of a Piece of Eight, & the finder do not deliver it to the Quarter Master in the space of 24 hours he shall suffer what Punishment the Captain and the Majority of the Company shall think fit.

* He that sees a Sail first, shall have the best Pistol or Small Arm aboard of her.

Hope this helps, and gets some ideas churning.

 

[Quickleaf]

Nice find It also bears mention that everyone - captain, officers and crew - was required to sign the Articles. In the event of imminent capture, the captain might be responsible for destroying the Articles so they couldn't be used to prosecute them as pirates.

VI. No Boy or Woman to be allowed amongst them. If any
Man were found seducing any of the latter Sex, and carry’d
her to Sea, disguised, he was to suffer Death.

While absolutely historically accurate and probably not that uncommon, this is one you'll likely want to nix.

Here is another example of Ship's Articles from Captain John Phillips, captain of the Revenge in 1724:

[SBLOCK=Articles of the Revenge]
I. Every Man Shall obey civil Command; the Captain shall have one full Share and a half of all Prizes; the Master, Carpenter, Boatswain and Gunner shall have one Share and quarter.

II. If any Man shall offer to run away, or keep any Secret from the Company, he shall be marooned with one Bottle of Powder, one Bottle of Water, one small Arm, and Shot.

III. If any Man shall steal any Thing in the Company, or game, to the Value of a Piece of Eight, he shall be marooned or shot.

IV. If any time we shall meet another Marooner [Mariner] that Man shall sign his Articles without the Consent of our Company, shall suffer such Punishment as the Captain and Company shall think fit.

V. That Man that shall strike another whilst these Articles are in force, shall receive Moses’s Law (that is, 40 Stripes lacking one) on the bare Back.

VI. That Man that shall snap his Arms, or smoke Tobacco in the Hold, without a Cap to his Pipe, or carry a Candle lighted without a Lanthorn, shall suffer the same Punishment as in the former Article.

VII. That Man that shall not keep his Arms clean, fit for an Engagement, or neglect his Business, shall be cut off from his Share, and suffer such other Punishment as the Captain and the Company shall think fit.

VIII. If any Man shall lose a Joint in time of an Engagement, shall have 400 Pieces of Eight; if a Limb, 800.

IX. If at any time you meet with a prudent Woman, that Man that offers to meddle with her, without her Consent, shall suffer present Death.[/SBLOCK]

A piece of eight, by the way, in our setting is equal to an electrum piece (1/2 gp).

 

[Queenie]

But I thought *you're* the captain! I'm just the DM So here's what I came up with for Katarina's items for having Magic Trinkets...

Blackheart's Scope
This exquisite black and silver spyglass is the only possession of her father that Katarina has, which he taught her how to use ever since she gained her sea legs. Far more complex than an ordinary spyglass, it has a series of silver rings which, if turned in the right manner, alter the magnification between one of three modes. The first is as a regular spyglass, while the other modes require a dram of blood (1 hit point) be poured into a small hole in the scope to power the magic for 1 minute.

• Greater Magnification: The magnification the spyglass provides is triple (instead of double), granting you advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks to identify ship features and such. However, when used in daylight or in other ambient bright light the powerful mirrors inside the spyglass shine from a distance, alerting anyone viewed that you're watching them.
• Water Scope: The spyglass ceases to function as normal and instead allows you to see 30 feet underwater provided the light conditions would allow you to see that far.

Andalusian Corsé de Gracia
A dark leather corset with black silk ties and invisible seamless mithril boning, this garment is luxuriously comfortable to wear and represents the height of Spanish fashion. Moreover, it has been enchanted by Andalusian mages with the grace of a swan and the convenience of a command word to cause the corset to lace up or untie when spoken by you. For a pirate to have such a corset...well, clearly it was stolen from a Spanish noblewoman! Perfectly flattering your bosom, the corset grants you advantage on Charisma checks involving seduction. Additionally, when you squeeze thru a tight space the corset cinches tighter, allowing you to function effectively despite the squeeze; you don't suffer disadvantage to your attack rolls or Dexterity saves when squeezing, nor do enemies gain advantage on their attacks against you (though you still must spend 1 extra foot of movement  per foot squeezed).

These are AMAZEballs. Seriously, I love them. Thank you so so so much! I know I keep saying it but you have a really creative and awesome way of thinking about / coming up with things!! (I've been scarred by a table gaming group that was so into rules and what was WRITTEN that they pretty much spent half (2 hours) of our time arguing over rules every session. Damned rules lawyers! This is the kind of game I've always wanted to play... where creativity rules.

 

[Queenie]

VI. No Boy or Woman to be allowed amongst them. If any
Man were found seducing any of the latter Sex, and carry’d
her to Sea, disguised, he was to suffer Death.

While absolutely historically accurate and probably not that uncommon, this is one you'll likely want to nix.

Heh. Ya think?

Soo...... do you want us to have an actual constitution like one of the above? I thought we'd be talking about treasure and other rules like this as a group and I think it's important to do some of that in character.

However, it might take a while? I don't know how many people about going to argue over it. So, do you want us as a group to start working on it OOG?

 

[Quickleaf]

These are AMAZEballs. Seriously, I love them. Thank you so so so much! I know I keep saying it but you have a really creative and awesome way of thinking about / coming up with things!! (I've been scarred by a table gaming group that was so into rules and what was WRITTEN that they pretty much spent half (2 hours) of our time arguing over rules every session. Damned rules lawyers! This is the kind of game I've always wanted to play... where creativity rules.

AMAZEballs? I'm unfamiliar with that one But glad they suit your character well!

Sorry about the rules lawyer scarring. We've all been there. Personally, I like to think of creativity and rules as working hand-in-hand for creamy gaming goodness. Rather than being mutually exclusive things. Heh. /soapbox

So...... do you want us to have an actual constitution like one of the above? I thought we'd be talking about treasure and other rules like this as a group and I think it's important to do some of that in character.

However, it might take a while? I don't know how many people about going to argue over it. So, do you want us as a group to start working on it OOG?

Good point, it might take a while. Sure, if you guys are inclined to, you can hash out details of the Articles / constitution here. That way players who care about it can have a say, while those who are less interested can let the "bigwigs" sort it out.

I also plan at some point in the next day (of game time) to post the contract with du Tourbillon for the group's revision/approval.

 

[Shayuri]

Lets reach some informal agreements OOC, then draft up an IC Articles to reflect those agreements?

 

[Queenie]

Good point, it might take a while. Sure, if you guys are inclined to, you can hash out details of the Articles / constitution here. That way players who care about it can have a say, while those who are less interested can let the "bigwigs" sort it out.

I also plan at some point in the next day (of game time) to post the contract with du Tourbillon for the group's revision/approval.

I (Queenie) HATES hashing out rules. But Kat must be involved this time. Damn her!

So, about treasure, Katerina feels that each er, are we calling everyone (our players) Officers basically? All Officers (including herself) should receive the same share, being 2 each. If we should need to make it less 1.5 but that seems onerous in terms of doing the actual math.

The only one who I was unsure how to make an officer would be our illustrious Cook, but who is going to question us if we do? lol Since he knows Old Zef and Old Zef served under Blackheart I am assuming Hugo may have served under Blackheart also so Kat would know him well. Is this okay [MENTION=6777934]Maldavos[/MENTION]? So since she knows him and his position and talents, that is good enough to make him an Officer.

Katerina takes after her father in terms of crew stuff. Not much mercy for their enemies but the crew is family and everything should be fair and equitable. Her father treated his crew well, that is what she grew up with and knows and that is what she passes on.

 

[Hannerdyn]

The only one who I was unsure how to make an officer would be our illustrious Cook, but who is going to question us if we do? lol Since he knows Old Zef and Old Zef served under Blackheart I am assuming Hugo may have served under Blackheart also so Kat would know him well. Is this okay [MENTION=6777934]Maldavos[/MENTION]? So since she knows him and his position and talents, that is good enough to make him an Officer.

Not a problem. I wouldn't even mind the equivalent of petty officer and a lesser share. And I like the idea of serving under Blackheart and watching the man's little girl (in Hugo's eyes) come into her own.